FSA deadlines coming up May 5, May 15

Warren County livestock and crop producers have two different reporting deadlines coming up in the near future.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers farm commodity programs and emergency related programs approved by Congress or the Secretary of Agriculture to assist those producers who have suffered losses due to natural disasters or other related events.

Producers who have planted fall seeded crops such as wheat, barley, or oats have until May 15 to file a crop acreage report for the 2006 crop year, according to Vickie Bouldin, Chairperson of the Warren County FSA Committee.

?Many producers have already filed their acreage report, but if you haven?t, you can do so by visiting the FSA Service Center and reporting the farm and fields that crops are being produced on,? she said. ?Producers can also report other crops such as vegetable crops, hay, sod, nursery trees, as well as the normal commodities of wheat, oats, corn or soybeans.?

After May 15, the county office will still accept the acreage report, however, a late reporting fee is charged to producers. The county chairperson said that the acreage reports are beneficial to producers when applying for and receiving program benefits, crop insurance benefits and in shaping national policy for future USDA programs.

Bouldin also said that Friday, May 5, 2006 will be the last date for persons interested in the drought emergency measures to apply for assistance under the secretarial designation due to extremely dry weather conditions experienced by producers in the fall of 2005.

?The County Committee and local office submitted a request for emergency measures to provide relief to producers because of the dry weather conditions experienced by producers in 2005,? she explained. ?The county was subsequently approved for emergency assistance and the final date for producers to apply for emergency water provisions for livestock is Friday, May 5.?

Producers are encouraged to visit the FSA service center, located at 811 Faulkner Springs Rd., during regular business hours of 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to file crop acreage reports, complete program enrollment forms, or to obtain information on other USDA programs or loan benefits and options.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual?s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA?s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice or TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.